Near the Mexican border, the US military constructs fake Middle Eastern villages in which to simulate war operations and train soldiers. Migrants, coming from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Haiti cross the punishing deserts on foot. They are pushed into these mock villages and other active bombing areas by Border Patrol enforcement. Meanwhile, a group of volunteers from San Diego spends weekends laboriously combing the vast desert, seeking the remains of lost and missing family members, friends, and strangers.